Simsbury, CT - Design Review Board Minutes 05/13/2008

Chairman Dahlquist called the meeting to order at 5:30 PM in the Main Meeting Room of the Simsbury Town Offices. The following members were present: John Carroll, Mark Naccarato, Richard Schoenhardt, Kevin Gray, Rita Bond and Charles Stephenson. Also present were Mr. Howard Beach, Conservation Officer, and Alison Sturgeon, Commission Clerk.

Mr. Mocarsky stated that this is a simple project. In order to bring the building up to code, they need to provide handicapped access to the building and to provide a fire stair from the second floor. They are proposing to provide a ramp off of the existing driveway, which will raise the existing entryway slab at the building. The porch, however, would stay the same. Regarding the exterior of the building, Mr. Mocarsky stated that they are proposing to add stairs within the footprint of the building on the west side. They will be matching the roof pitches and will be using a white vinyl to match the existing double hung windows.

Commissioner Naccarato stated that he feels that it is a shame to lose the quarter round attic windows. The building will now have a more contemporary look and feel to it, although he is not sure if there is any solution to this because of the roof pitches.

Commissioner Gray motioned that the following referral be made to the Zoning Commission. That the Design Review Board finds this application in its current form generally consistent with the Guidelines for Community Design and recommends approval by the Zoning Commission based on the information that was presented and drawings dated 6/22/06, identified as project 06008.00. Commissioner Carroll seconded the motion, which was unanimously approved.

Mr. Pines, of the Hoffman Auto Group, stated that that this has been a challenge because of the different types of buildings on the site. The signs that are being presented tonight are the same size or smaller than the signs that were portrayed on the plans last year during their Zoning hearings.

Richard Kaiser, from Clohessy Harris & Kaiser, LLC, showed the Board the plans depicting the site. He also distributed handouts regarding the Hoffman West Simsbury Site signage, lighting, and mounting. He showed the Board the plans for Best Buy that was approved last year. He stated that the lighting for the Best Buy and the dealerships would be linear fixtures that would illuminate from within the sign. Munson's will be using an Elliptipar fixture.

Chairman Dahlquist questioned if any accessories would be added to the fixtures. Mr. Kaiser stated that there are some side shields. They will be looking into this more as the process continues. He stated that all of the signs would be lit from above. The head on the fixture has a 90-120 degree rotation so it can be adjusted. He stated that although each of the manufacturers has their own logo, the lettering on the building is very similar.

Chairman Dahlquist stated that this is an unusual situation, although the Zoning Regulations state that because there are multiple tenants on one site, there needs to be a unified sign plan.

Regarding the dealerships, Mr. Kaiser stated that there is not much difference in color. The buildings are a whitish to silver color. The color of the signs are very similar also, a very dark to black color, except for the Honda building, which has a blue logo.

Regarding the entrance sign, Mr. Kaiser stated that this was submitted last year, which he showed to the Board. He stated that this was part of the original Site Plan and it has already been approved.

Commissioner Stephenson asked Mr. Kaiser to describe the materials and the side profile of the different signs. Mr. Kaiser stated that the typical letters are an aluminum letter with a square edge. The thickness does vary slightly, although it will be 1"-2", depending on the sign. The signs will be fixed directly to the buildings.

Chairman Dahlquist questioned if any interior directional signs were being proposed. Mr. Pines stated that they are not ready to propose those signs at this time, although they will be back before this Board in the future regarding this. Commissioner Bond questioned if all of the signs would be facing Route 44. Mr. Kaiser stated that the signs would be facing in several different directions.

The Board did not have any comments or concerns regarding the car dealership signs. Regarding the Best Buy and Munson signs, Mr. Beach stated that although this is a bigger sign, they are still within the maximum amount allowed.

Commissioner Gray motioned that the following referral be made to the Zoning Commission. That the Design Review Board finds this application in its current form generally consistent with the Guidelines for Community Design and recommends approval by the Zoning Commission based on information presented on plans submitted by Thomas Sign and Awning, dated 4/28/08 and 4/29/08; and Site Plan, dated 4/22/08; and the four elevation plans, dated 4/22/08; Drawing # A201 for the dealerships, Nissan, dated 4/22/08; Toyota, dated 8/22/07; and Honda, dated 4/22/08. Commissioner Stephenson seconded the motion, which was unanimously approved.

As a design consideration, Chairman Dahlquist stated that the Design Review Board appreciates the cooperation of the various participants in this process, and their willingness to evolve the project in a positive direction. He also appreciates the use of the informal reviews and their willingness to make some concessions from the alternatives.

Chairman Dahlquist stated that he recently attended a meeting with Mr. Hensley regarding the gateway signs, at which he told Mr. Hensley that the Design Review Board would like to contribute to the design of those signs. Mr. Hensley would like something ready within the next six months, although he is not expecting them to be in place by then.

Chairman Dahlquist stated that the Design Review Board is not here to design signs, although this is a Town project and this Board can give their guidance. He does not feel that this Board should design the signs, but would like to give Mr. Hensley solid direction. The Board agreed with this.

Commissioner Carroll stated that this is a Town project. He suggested that the art and design students at the High School could take this on as a project or as a contest. He stated that young people can do amazing things and would like to give them an opportunity to see their ideas.

Commissioner Stephenson agreed with Chairman Dahlquist that this Board should only give direction. He stated that he is reluctant for the Design Review Board to be an active participant in the design of the signs because they might lose their ability to give their overview.

Chairman Dahlquist stated that the signs should be freestanding signs. This Board should also think about locations for the signs. Commissioner Carroll stated that the major signs should be located at Route 10, north and south; Routes 167, 309, and 185. Route 315 would be a village entry sign.

Chairman Dahlquist stated that there should be three groups of signs: major gateway signs; village entry signs; and Town Center signs, which should be a special sign but not too elaborate. He stated that he would like to avoid the "bedpost" looking sign. He stated that there are several options for the signs. There could be a sign with a land mass, where the land would be built up to the sign and the sign would be low. Another option is to have a sign that is on a vertical pole that is made out of stone. The sign could be oval with wrought iron brackets holding the sign. Commissioner Stephenson stated that he liked this option because it was different from other Towns, although it still offers flexibility. The Board members agreed.

Commissioner Schoenhardt stated that the wording on the sign needs to be considered. After some discussion, the Board agreed that the sign should read, "Town of Simsbury, Est. 1670". Commissioner Carroll suggested using the Town seal on the major gateway signs.

Chairman Dahlquist will write up a definitive description, using text only, for Mr. Hensley, including the range of materials for the signs and the specific information for the village and major gateway signs. He will also include the size of the sign, which he feels should not be too small, but substantial. Commissioner Carroll stated that he feels that all of the signs should have the same shape and size or they should look for the appropriate size of the sign at each location. The Board agreed that some signs might need to be different sizes.

The Board discussed the size of the signs. Commissioner Carroll will make a cardboard cutout of several size signs so the Board members can see the actual sizes of the signs. He will bring these to the next meeting. Commissioner Bond stated that the size of the lettering and seal might determine the size of the signs.